Letters to the Editors
The Need for Speed Dear Mr. Bailey: I liked your article in the August issue of BodyShop Business [Supervising Smarts, pg. 20]. I’ve watched the industry turn in the unfortunate direction of the almighty dollar for quite awhile now, and I wish there were more techs out there like you who cared about the quality
Pick Me! Pick Me!
If you want to close the sale, you need more than a well-written estimate and a “Give us a call if you decide to schedule it.” You need to develop a system tailored to customer needs and train your estimators and front desk personnel to sell.
Jumping on the E-Commerce Bandwagon
Though the dotcoms have had a rough few years, doing business over the Internet isn’t a bust. Quite the contrary. Though it’s wise to look before you leap, repairers who take advantage early will claim a huge share of the market and reduce their costs. Repairers who refuse to get on and stand in the way of progress may simply get run over.<
The Need For Speed: Quantity Over Quality May Cost You
A shop manager who chooses quantity over quality may cost you more than a few dollars in comebacks. He may also cost you a few good technicians.
Dealing With Mr. “I-Can’t-Pay-My-Deductible”
It may be tempting to do your customers a favor when they threaten to take their business elsewhere. But when you see how this adversely affects the industry and your own shop, you’ll realize that you’re a moron if you allow some whiner with a eductible problem to peer pressure you.
Is Your Paint Shop Profitable?
It’s all in the numbers. By taking out your calculator and figuring how well you’re doing on your key performance indicators, you can quickly determine where you’re proficient in the paint shop and where you’re just painting yourself into a corner.
Consent Decree: Enforceable or Forgetable?
In 1963, 265 insurers signed a Consent Decree drafted by the U.S. Justice Department and Attorney General Robert Kennedy. By signing, they agreed to abide by the Decree’s terms: no more demanding discounts, setting hourly rates, boycotting repair shops and using specific appraisers. It’s still a binding agreement today … but will it ever be enforced?
Getting Your Money’s Worth
"How does a consolidator arrive at the value of a shop?" — Clyde Wilkerson, owner, Wilkerson Body & Frame, Kokomo, Ind. To answer this question, we must first define which type of consolidator you might be dealing with. Collision shop consolidators generally fall into one of two categories. The Predator First, there’s the consolidator whose
Show Me the Money! How and When to Sell Your Shop
As a successful collision shop owner, you’ve probably had to pour most of your time, energy and money into your business for what may have seemed like forever. It’s not forever, but it is a long time – the typical shop owner has been in business for 15 to 20 years.
I’m Just A Bill: Why Not Get Involved?
On Capitol Hill, a lot of bills await their fate. And many of them — if enacted into law — will affect the profitability of your business. Why, then, aren’t more collision repairers actively involved in legislative activity?